A pioneering Welsh company developing a “revolutionary” non-invasive wearable blood glucose sensor has had to turn to India for its latest recruit due to a skills shortage in the UK.

Afon Technology, a leading name in cutting-edge medical technology, has proudly announced the addition of Piyush Shah, who will move from India to join its team as Technical Lead.

Piyush brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Afon Technology, showcasing the Monmouthshire-based firm’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of medical technology through recruitment of the world’s best experts.

His illustrious career is marked by ground-breaking contributions to the field of medical devices, including a pivotal role in the development of the artificial pancreas, a revolutionary project that combined an insulin pump with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) as part of a collaboration between J&J and Dexcom.

Sabih Chaudhry, Afon Technology’s CEO, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Piyush as our new Technical Lead. His wealth of knowledge will play a pivotal role in advancing our mission to create the world’s first wearable non-invasive blood glucose sensor, eliminating the need for needles in monitoring blood sugar levels.”

Currently living in Pune, India, Piyush developed an interest in working with technology from a young age and went on to secure an undergraduate degree in bioengineering.

His extensive experience extends to successful contributions to the development and launch of numerous Class II and Class III medical devices including the integration of insulin pumps and blood glucose meters for remote bolus delivery.

Prior to joining Afon Technology, he served in key roles at Boston Scientific, where he contributed to the development of medical devices in the cardiac domain, including RF catheters and arrhythmia mapping software.

His expertise was further honed during his time at Johnson & Johnson, where he played a crucial role in the development of insulin pumps and diabetes event tracking software applications within the diabetes domain. He also contributed significantly to the medical devices division of Moog based in Utah, USA.

Commenting on his appointment, Piyush expressed enthusiasm for the opportunities at Afon Technology:

“The technology Afon is trying to build will transform the diabetes world and the management of the disease which has created a lot of issues for a lot of families, including my own.

“Leaving my beloved home nation of India, I am fuelled by the shared vision of improving the lives of people with diabetes. Joining Afon at this crucial juncture allows me to contribute significantly to the final development stages of its revolutionary device.”

Afon Technology looks forward to leveraging Piyush’s wealth of experience to continue driving innovation in the medical technology sector. The company anticipates that his contributions will play a pivotal role in the final development stages of its pain-free continuous blood glucose sensor.

Sabih Chaudhry added:

“With Piyush on board, we are confident in our collective ability to drive innovation and make a meaningful impact on the lives of those managing diabetes.”

Afon Technology is best known for developing the world’s first non-invasive, real-time and continuous blood glucose sensor. The device is worn on the inside of the wrist with or without a watch, and it feeds back to the user’s chosen smart device to display blood glucose data.

Unlike the current continuous glucose monitoring devices, it will measure blood glucose levels in real-time without the need to penetrate the skin at all, making it easier to manage the condition, reducing the risk of diabetes-related complications such as heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and limb amputations.

Companies such as Apple, Samsung and Google are rumoured to have been trying to develop non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, but so far none have been successful. Afon Technology hopes to win the race to this important milestone.

Preliminary clinical research gives people with diabetes hope that such a device could become a reality in the near future.